Our Hidden Agendas
by Xethear
Summary: Secrets are all around, some hold pleasant surprises, while others hold deceit. Both Noctis and Lightning hold secrets to protect the other, but when a coup occurs inside the crowned city of Lucis, will all these secrets tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1: Secrets to Protect

**Chapter 1: Secrets to Protect**

Leaves from nearby trees gently swayed along with the mellow breeze that caressed Lightning's cheeks. The clouds drifted idly by obscuring the sunlight from time to time. It was a great day to be outdoors.

" _What do you want for dinner tonight?"_

A soothing voice crooned inside of Lightning's head. _"Hum… surprise me."_ Was her default answer as she laced up her boots that morning.

"Light look out!"

"Urk!" Lightning leapt from under fallen debris to take alternative cover from a fireball lobbed in her direction. A thundering crack resounded shattering the scenery's peace as one tree burst into flame.

* * *

" _Hum… surprise me."_

" _You say that now, but you'll probably change your tone when you see a plate of gysahl greens on the table when you get home."_

" _Is that your idea of a joke? Cause I'm not laughing."_

"She really said that? Haha! Boy did you tick her off."

"I don't need a reminder Gladio."

"Duck!"

"Oof!" Noctis narrowly escaped a wide horizontal slash from Gladiolus as the two friends continued their sparring session. "Way to hold back."

"Gotta keep the future king on his toes!" The stalwart, young man boasted as he adjusted the cap on his head.

"Yeah yeah…" Noctis murmured halfheartedly.

Boom! Another fireball collided against the pavement around Lightning's vicinity sending bits of metal and rock flying against trees and air bikes. "Someone cover me!" She shouted as she vaulted over a ruined air bike and brandished her gunblade.

"Farron! Get back here!" A strict voice commanded.

" _Well then… you're gonna have to be more specific with your request then."_

"… _I'll tell you during lunch. I have to think about it."_

Lightning slashed through a flanbanero causing it to lose its form and slop down into a puddle of orange-red before it could launch another fireball. _'Pasta...? Maybe fish.'_

* * *

"What do you think she'd want? Pasta? Maybe… fish." Noctis absentmindedly paced back and forth as he tapped the blade of his wooden sword on the ground.

"Pay attention!" Gladiolus barked as he swept his massive sword against the back of Noctis's legs tripping him instantly.

"Ugh…" Noctis groaned as he felt the ringing in his head as he rolled over on the grass.

"C'mon future king, you gotta get your act together." Gladiolus hoisted the other man to his feet. "Keep distractions outta your head when you're in combat."

Noctis sighed and rested his sword on his shoulder. "Yeah yeah…"

Just then the sound of rapid footsteps against pavement caught the duo's attention. "Noct! Gladdy! Time for lunch!" A young woman with short brown hair chirped with a bright smile on her face.

"Aww yeah! Let's go Noct!" Gladiolus said as he ran into the house.

Noctis chuckled at the man's childlike reaction and followed suite. "Thanks Iris." He said with a warm smile as he ruffled the young woman's hair.

She smiled and skipped alongside the man. "Be sure to wash up." She told both the men. "You guys are all dirty from playing in the yard."

"We were not playing." Gladiolus managed to say through a mouth full of cutlet sandwiches. "it's _training_."

* * *

"What do you think that was Cadet Farron? A _training_ exercise?!"

"No sir I just—"

"Disobeyed a direct order from a member of the Glaive!"

Lightning continued to eat her meal as she scooped some mashed potatoes into her spoon.

"Look at me when spoken to!" A man shouted as he slammed his hands on the table.

Lightning stared daggers at the one scolding her. He had a fair build and short brown hair with an eye color to match. "Don't get so full of yourself Tredd."

"That's Glaive Furia to you cadet."

"I can easily take you out in a training exercise."

"What was that?!"

The young man sitting next to Lightning quickly sprang up with his hands out forwards. "H-Hey, let's all calm down alright? Glaive Furia, with all due respect, though Cadet Farron's actions were unwarranted she did save several civilians and Cadet's Oerba Dia, Villiers and myself." He looked over to his right to a woman with bright red hair pulled into pigtails who nodded in agreement.

Tredd's scowl shifted from Lightning to the young man with platinum blond hair. "Shut it Estheim."

Just then another man, one taller and bulkier with blond hair stood up. "Hey, Hope is right. Light saved us. Let it go Tredd."

"You cadets have no respect do you? Speak only when your spoken to Villiers! I outrank you!"

"I'm free to talk then right?" A dark haired man voiced as he pushed off a wall he was leaning on. "Quit picking on the cadets Tredd. They did good. I didn't see you out there taking initiative."

"What was that Nyx?"

"Alright, that's enough." A prominent voice echoed through the hall as the sound of heavy, armored footsteps soon followed.

The presence of the knight that had just entered the mess hall caused everyone to cease their actions causing idle chit chat to hush and silverware to clink against plates. Everyone stood up straight for a salute. "Sir Titus." They all said in unison.

"At ease." The knight said as he scanned the room. "Farron, in my office. Now."

"Sir!" Lightning annunciated clearly before muttering a "Just perfect…" Under her breath.

* * *

"Noct, you have to leave the fish alone else the skin will never crisp up."

"Ignis, I know, but it might burn!"

"You said you wanted to cook Lightning dinner, but you've hardly gained a grasp of the basics."

"Ya know… this kind of advice isn't that helpful Ignis."

Noctis had been spending the better part of dusk preparing the seafood pasta he had formulated in his head early on in the day with trial and error. He had gone to Ignis for advice since he was the chef amongst his friends but found preparing a proper meal to be more than just boiling water and adding noodles into a pot. At first he thought he could tackle the task on his own, but the burnt remains of his first attempt said otherwise as the pan sat smoldering in the sink.

"Alright, let's try this again Noct." Ignis opened up the cookbook and adjusted his glasses. "First heat the pan up then—"

"Then add the cooking oil and when it starts to smoke add the fish skin side down first. I got it."

"Correct. And make sure you season it."

The lesson lasted about an hour–double the time it would usually take–but Noctis finally produced something he was satisfied with. A simple pasta with fish, veggies and cream sauce. The clock read "18:15" when Noctis ushered Ignis out the door of his apartment and set the dining table in preparation for his girlfriend.

Noctis surveyed the area to make sure everything was in its proper place. His apartment used to be a mess much to Ignis's dismay, however he took up the habit of cleaning after Lightning moved in together with him.

He crossed his arms as he stared at the countertop littered with bits of basil, salt, and pasta and sighed. He tore a sheet of a paper towel off its roll and dabbed it with some water before wiping down the surface revealing its light, gray marble top. "Practice makes perfect." He murmured softly before crushing and chucking the paper towel into the trash bin. He then turned his attention to the pots and set the heat to low to keep the food warm knowing Lightning would be home soon.

Feeling slightly exhausted from the new culinary feat he accomplished, Noctis went over to the living room and flipped the tv on and decided to continue finishing up the homework assignment he started during his lunch break at Gladiolus's house. His work materials were sprawled out across the coffee table (and floor). He was halfway through reading a passage about the history of Altissia when he heard the jamming of a key in the doorknob followed by its slightly squeaky turn. "I'm home." Lightning said sounding exhausted.

Noctis rose from the couch and approached the entrance of the apartment. "Hey now, that doesn't sound too enthusiastic." Noctis mocked as he leaned against the wall. "Welcome back. Rough day at work?"

Lightning sighed and dropped her backpack onto the floor as she undid her boots, "You don't know the half of it."

Noctis gave her a small smile, "Why don't you fill me in while we eat?"

"Sounds good. But first I need a quick bite of dessert to cheer me up."

"Hm?" Noctis felt a sharp tug on his collar as Lightning gave him a quick peck on the lips. His cheeks burned a vivid red causing Lightning to laugh.

"Is that all it takes to make you blush?" She gave him an alluring smile. "Too easy." She said coolly as Noctis shook his head to regain composure.

' _Way to keep your cool.'_ Noctis groaned as he led his girlfriend into the kitchen. Lightning quickly made a beeline for the stove and took the lid off a pot revealing a creamy, white sauce dotted with bits of basil and black pepper. She took a spoon out from one of the drawers and eagerly dipped it into the mixture to sample it. "Let's see… salt, pepper, cream of course…" She smacked her lips. "Basil, hint of lemon?"

Noctis raised his brow looking very amused as he fetched one of the plates from the dining table and filled it with pasta, fish and sauce. "That's right." He then handed her the plate. "Tadaaa. Seafood-ish pasta. Straight from the cookbook."

Lightning eyed the dish curiously and crossed her arms. "Huh… you know to be honest… I wasn't expecting much. So this is quite the uplifting surprise."

"Gee thanks. Well don't just stand there." Noctis handed Lightning a fork. "Dig in."

The pair took their meal to the couch clearing the coffee table of Noctis's study materials, found a movie playing on tv and settled in before starting. Lightning felt relieved to be off her feet and onto the soft cushions of the couch. Her first bite of dinner was a pleasant array of tender, flaky fish, crisp vegetables and slightly al dente pasta. "Mm~" She hummed with satisfaction.

' _Whew… it only took like seven tries.'_ Noctis breathed a sigh of relief and stole a bite from Lightning's fork which caused her to jab him in the sides. The two continued their meal whilst making commentary on the movie playing and recapped their days to one another.

"So then the boss said, 'I'm docking your pay for today.'"

"What?! Just because you got into a small argument with your customer? What kind of retail job is that?"

Lightning shrugged, "Well you know, the customer is always right and all that…"

"Well not if it's a matter of their safety! What an idiot boss."

Lightning laughed, "It's no big deal. I'll show them eventually when I get the promotion." She grabbed a glass of water and took a sip. "So how was class?"

* * *

"That Furia! How could he treat you like that?!" A sharp voice pierced through the phone line causing Lightning to pull the device away from her ear.

"Keep it down Serah! Even through the phone yelling like that can still be picked up you know."

"Oh, sorry! What's he doing now?"

"Hm? Oh… uhh well he's taking a bath…"

"Oh~?"

"Shut up Serah." Lightning could easily tell when her sister was mocking her even with just the sound of her voice to go off of.

"I take it you didn't tell him your real job is becoming a bodyguard to the king then?"

"It's… complicated. I just…" Lightning stared at the ceiling from her resting position on the couch. "Don't want him to worry. It's one of his flaws and reasons why I'm attracted to him. He cares too much. Ever since he lost his mother. We can relate you know."

There was a slight pause over the phone before her sister responded. "Yeah. But I still think you should tell him Light. Honesty is the best policy in a relationship."

"Well yeah, but I'm doing this cause I care. Guess you can mark me with the same flaw."

As Lightning continued her conversation with her sister the door to the restroom swung open expelling a puff of steam as a shirtless Noctis emerged from the room drying his damp locks with a midnight blue towel. He looked up at Lightning with innocence who gave him a smirk.

"Oh! Side note, he actually cooked dinner today. I couldn't believe it either… No he burned something… He forgot to clean the pan before I came home so I found out, plus the smell still lingered. It was a good effort though."

Noctis rolled his eyes and walked to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of water. "Better than the raw steak she tried to cook last week." He shouted over the counter so that Serah could hear.

Lightning narrowed her gaze. "Cooking temperatures can be tricky you know." She caught Noctis laugh before he drank his water. "Anyways Serah that's the gist of it. My turn for the restroom. Right… yeah… and keep Snow in check alright? See you later… yeah love you too little sis." Lightning clicked her cell phone off and stuffed it in her pocket before pushing herself up from the couch. She made her way towards Noctis's and her room and got a fresh pair of clothes before stepping into the restroom. "By the way you got number five wrong!" Referring to her boyfriend's homework before shutting the door to start her shower.

* * *

"So, I take it she doesn't know you're the prince yet Noct?"

"Does this have to be a thing every time we talk through the phone Prompto?"

"Hey, just saying, it's not that good to keep secrets."

Noctis rolled his eyes and erased his answer next to the "#5" on his assignment sheet recalling the countless times Prompto gave him the same words of advice. "You already know what I'm going to say."

The prince heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Yeah yeah, it's for her protection. You don't want her involved in kingdom troubles and want her to live a normal relationship. Blah blah, but c'mon Noct! You're gonna be king one day. She's gonna know sooner or lat—"

"Can we not talk about king nonsense right now?" Noctis rubbed his temples momentarily dwelling on his burden of responsibility. "I've got enough on my plate as is."

"Right… sorry."

Noctis shook his head. "Never mind. By the way, what did you get for number five?"

"Huh..? Oh uhh let's see… 'What's the large beast that roams the Duscaen Landscape on its own. List part of its diet, its color, size and hostility level in your answer.' I put garula."

"See that was my answer too! Light says I'm wrong." Noctis explained as he flipped through the pages of his textbook. "What else could it be? Saberclaws and Sabertusks travel in packs. Some Mesmenirs travel solo but I wouldn't exactly classify them as 'large beast.'"

"Should we just call Ignis so we can move on to the next question?"

Noctis pondered the suggestion for a few seconds until refusing. "Nah, he helped me enough today as is with dinner."

"Helped _you_ not _me_." Prompto replied smugly.

"The answer has to be here somewh—aha! Prompto, page 115 the passage at the bottom right."

Noctis flipped through his textbook pages furiously momentarily skipping the designated page in his frenzy, "One fifteen… one fifteen let's see— A behemoth?!"

Noctis quickly grabbed his pen and scribbled the answer down furiously. "For such a large beast they sure gave it a small passage."

"I'll say." Prompto said with a chuckle

After switching his phone to speaker, the prince continued to run through his assignment with his friend until he heard Lightning step out of the restroom. He managed to catch a glimpse of her attire while she dried her hair—a dark tank top and dark grey shorts. Her favorite rose colored knit sweater was draped over her shoulder, most likely to be used after her hair was done.

Lightning made her way towards the couch as she dried her hair and leapt over it with grace and plopped down on the cushions. She threw her sweater on the armrest and let her towel fall to her shoulders as she rested her head against Noctis's shoulder. "I see you found the answer."

The fresh aroma of strawberries and rose petals wafting from Lightning's hair gave Noctis a sense of peace. "Ironic that they decided to give it such a small section in the textbook. It was like an annotation rather than a passage."

Lightning fell on her back lying her head on the armrest and placed her legs atop Noctis's lap as she turned her head towards the tv. "Guess they wanted to keep it a secret." She closed her eyes and mimicked a reporter on television as she said, "Feast your eyes on the beauty and splendor of the Duscaen Landscape! And… oh we have behemoths too."

Noctis laughed, "Right, but as Prompto says, honesty is the best policy."

* * *

 **End Chapter:**

Hey everyone, it's been a while but here's a new fic with some familiar characters. Love to hear people's input! Here's to the new year!


	2. Chapter 2: Ascension

**Chapter 2: Ascension**

Noctis awoke the next morning to the sound of a sizzling pan on the stovetop. It took a moment for him to take in his surroundings as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes. His complete homework assignment rested on the coffee table partly wedged inside his textbook. "Can't believe I actually finished." He said with a groggy yawn.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." Lightning teased as she set two plates down on the coffee table with two cups of coffee.

Noctis looked up at Lightning and smiled. "Morning to you too Ms. Bedhead." He said referring to her signature look in the morning. Some of her rose colored locks stuck out in various directions which was one of the most adorable thing for the man to see. It was an ironic combination of messy and refreshing. She had on her white apron with a design of a moogle brandishing a frying pan etched into the abdomen—a gift from her sister.

Noctis exercised his habit of poking the furry pinkish red pompom of the moogle (which coincidentally rested above where Lightning's belly button was) partly because the attention to detail was impressive and that it caused Lightning to utter an uncontrollable giggle (more the latter). She pouted after her ticklish zone was exploited and growled with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.

Noctis chuckled and then looked down at the coffee and grimaced at the more displeasing sight. He disliked the bracing, bitter brew but forced himself to drink it to appear more mature. Ever since he was a child all the adults around him drank coffee and the belief of linking the drink with maturity stuck with him. Thankfully the food on his plate was more welcoming. Eggs on toast, bacon wafting with steam, oven roasted baby tomatoes and several Duscaen Orange slices in a bowl. It wasn't anything extremely fancy but knowing Lightning made it gave Noctis a feeling of pride and warmth. "Wow, you cooked something. What's the occasion?" He asked with hint of sarcasm as he took a bite of his food.

Lightning rolled her eyes and sat down beside Noctis, "Oh haha… you're _sooo_ funny." She said sarcastically. "I know how to cook some things you know. Sure my sister did most of the cooking when we were living together but I pick things up here and there." She took a bite of her toast and looked at the tv. From her peripheral she noticed Noctis separating the tomatoes from the rest of his food. "Don't even dare. Stop being so picky."

Noctis pursed his lips and sighed. He always disliked certain foods ever since he was a child, particularly vegetables. His friends were actually amazed that Lightning was able to get him to eat some. It was practically a miracle.

After discarding his reservations Noctis took a deep breath and stuffed one of the red pouches in his mouth practically gagged partly from the taste battling against his preferences and also because the current television program was showcasing his father, the King of Lucis walking with a cane. "Urk!" Noctis quickly seized the remote and flipped the channel to a blitzball game.

Lightning stopped in the middle of chewing and raised her brow. "Hey, I was watching that."

"O-Oh, sorry." Noctis murmured and turned back to the program. Even though the prince had taken precautionary measures as to tell his father to avoid mentioning him or his friends to the press in regards to his relationship with Lightning, he was still slightly paranoid of his secret being leaked.

Lightning sat back with her cup of coffee cupped in her hands. She took a small sip and breathed a sigh of relief at the small harbinger of the morning. "Hard to believe sometimes that the wall over Lucis is being maintained thanks to King Regis and the Crystal. It must be quite the responsibility."

"Y-Yeah…" Noctis said sullenly failing to mask his emotions which Lightning was quick to pick up on.

She picked her plate up and leaned in towards Noctis. "Something wrong?"

At the sound of her voice, Noctis perked up. "Yeah… I… I don't have enough bacon." As soon as he finished his excuse he quickly stole one of Lightning's pieces of bacon and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hey! Give it back!" She ordered as she lunged forward and pinned Noctis down on the couch. She had him straddled with her knees pressed against his arms disabling his actions effectively.

"Too late!" The man managed to say before swallowing the morsel.

"You—!" Lightning glared at her boyfriend and pinched his cheeks. Noctis immediately winced and attempted to break free of Lightning's bind but to no avail. He could feel her legs squeezing his sides and in normal circumstances he wouldn't have minded the position, but the pain in his face protested otherwise. "You better buy more by the time I get back from work. Be it bacon, steak or... actually yeah, make it steak!"

Noctis could only nod as he withstood the pain which was thankfully a satisfactory response, enough for Lightning to withdraw as the stinging sensation pulsing through his face began to subside.

With a frustrated huff Lightning rolled off of Noctis and scarfed down the rest of her meal before dumping the dishes into the sink and made a dash for their room to change into her "uniform." In order to keep her ruse together as a retail associate, Lightning would leave the apartment wearing what she considered was a generic outfit consisting of dark colors whilst her real cadet uniform rested inside her bag.

"Alright! I'm taking off first!" Lightning shouted as she tied the laces of her boots by the door.

Noctis walked over to the entrance of the apartment with his plate in hand and his mouth full of food to see his girlfriend off. "Haf a naish day." He said clumsily attempting to hold crumbs from flying out of his mouth.

Lightning laughed and wiped the corner of Noctis's mouth with her thumb. "See ya~" She finished and dashed out of the door.

Noctis smiled as he savored the pleasantries the morning had to offer. Normally he would have easily slept in as he despised getting up early, but like many of the altercations he adapted into his lifestyle (for the better) with his relationship with Lightning he was finding change not too bad. He had a cleaner apartment, cooking lessons, arrived on school grounds punctually and more. His friends would often tease him on his maturity level compared to Lightning, after all his girlfriend was a year older than him. They felt she kept him in check when he was being childish such as his fiasco with vegetables.

After finishing his last bite of food Noctis cleaned his dishes, noted the time and calculated how long it would take to get ready for school as he slipped inside the restroom.

* * *

"Ahhhh… tsk…"

"Now that was a yawn!" Prompto commented as he jogged up to Noctis and patted his friend on the back.

"Just when I thought mornings weren't a bother…" Noctis turned to Prompto and held his fist up for Prompto to fist bump. "Mornin.'"

Prompto laughed as he returned the greeting. "Same to you buddy. So, check this out…" The blonde was usually full of energy no matter what time of day, but Noctis could tell he was especially excited for some reason as he watched his friend rummaged through his bag. After several seconds of haphazard searching Prompto retrieved a small black bag. "Tadaaa!" He beamed as he revealed a camera inside the pack.

Noctis smirked, "So you finally got it huh?"

Prompto cuddled the piece of technology and let out a satisfied sigh. "Yeah! I worked my ass off at the diner to save up for this baby and now she's all mine."

"Well then, you better make me look good." Noctis said sarcastically knowing full well Prompto would want to practice his photography.

"Right! Haha!"

The duo walked on towards their school grounds seen a ways off in the distance. Though the walk lasted about twenty minutes they never seemed to get tired of the scenery. The trees along the sidewalk which changed during the season (at the moment sunshine peeked through the small gaps of the green leaves), the smell of fresh bread baking from the local bakery, people walking their dogs and the occasional passing of a car all painted a picture of peace in the residential area of Lucis.

"See if you can get a picture of Specs while he's working at the bakery. Wonder if he'll smile."

Prompto beamed. "Good idea! I'll take a picture of those pastries he bakes too. Good food needs to be captured in the moment!"

The moment Prompto said "pastries" Noctis perked up. "Thanks for reminding me. He said he had a new flavor he wanted me to try."

"Still trying to recreate that dessert you shared with Lady Lunafreya way back when huh?"

Noctis shrugged. "Can't help it. It was tasty."

Prompto played with the lens on his camera and pretended to take some photos as they made their way towards the bakery at the end of the street. "How is she these days by the way?"

Again Noctis shrugged. "Ya know… good. We haven't really seen each other for years. All we have are the letters we send each other."

"Does Light know?"

"Of course. She sees me writing letters from time to time and knows we're **just. Friends.** Prompto." Noctis glared at his friend knowing that there was a cheeky grin plastered across the blonde's face.

"I know I know, I just imagined Lightning jealous. I bet you'd like to see her all possessive of you from time to time eh?" He jabbed Noctis on the sides playfully.

"Quit it." Noctis dismissed the matter with a scoff but privately imagined a jealous Lightning pouting.

"Alright, we're here! Good morning!" Prompto shouted as he pushed the door to the bakery open. A soft jingle was heard as the bell found at the top of the door rang alerting the staff of the arrival of customers. Small brown rectangular tables were scattered about the dark, hardwood floors. Vibrant leafy green plants hung from baskets strewn about the ceiling enhancing the atmosphere of nature in the building and the stone oven crackled with burning wood behind the counter separating the register from the kitchen.

The titillating scent of fresh baked bread enticed Noctis's nostrils and he immediately headed for the register. "Mornin' Coctura, is Ignis in?"

The young lady behind the counter gave Noctis a friendly smile as she finished tying her blonde hair into a ponytail and dusted some flour off her red chef coat. "Morning Highness. He'll be right out."

"Thanks." Noctis said with a nod as he leaned over the countertop to survey the pastries underneath the looking glass. "Going back to Galdin Quay soon? I'm sure they'll need their head chef back." He said casually as he eyed an attractive gateau decorated with fruits.

"Eventually. But it's nice here too. Just waiting for mom and dad to get back from vacation you know." Coctura explained before disappearing behind the kitchen doors.

"Right." Noctis responded absentmindedly as he continued to survey the delicacies.

"Hey Noct! Over here!" Prompto waved from a vacant table, beckoning his friend over. As soon as Noctis seated himself Prompto handed him the camera and tapped the screen revealing a fresh image of two birds behind the window in the midst of eating bread crumbs.

Noctis raised his brow amazed at the clarity of the image. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"I know! I dig it too! All those sharpshooter classes made my hands pretty steady."

"Well taken." An additional voice chimed into the conversation as the prince's confidant entered the room with a tray filled with two saucers holding a puffy pastry lightly topped with confectioner's sugar. "I've added pineapple today Noct. Perhaps that was the missing ingredient?"

"Mornin' Ignis." Noctis greeted as he quickly took a bite of the dessert.

Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I trust you had a proper breakfast beforehand?" He asked as he handed Prompto the remaining saucer.

"Yeah. Actually Light cooked today."

"My word!" It was rare for Noctis to see Ignis so taken aback. "What has the world come to… Lady Lightning is cooking for his Highness?"

The prince couldn't help but laugh. "You know she'd slug you for a comment like that."

Ignis cracked a smile and nodded. "I merely jest. I'm safe to assume you yielded a similar reaction?"

"You got that right. It was a real pleasant surprise though." Noctis shut his eyes as he took in the flavor of the pastry.

"I bet…" Prompto said with an envious sigh. "It must feel awesome when your special someone cooks for you. At any rate this is great Ignis!" The blonde practically shouted as he pointed at his half eaten dessert.

Though Ignis was usually well adapt at hiding his emotions he seemed happy to receive praise. Noctis also knew he was an individual who despised being lied to, which is why he never sugar coated his commentary on the confidant's culinary feats. "Mmm… it is good… but… not quite the same."

Ignis quickly drew out his notepad and jotted down some notes. "Back to the drawing board. And it's about time for you two to head to class. Gladio also told me not to skip today's fencing lesson Noct. I'll be there to lead a hand as well."

The prince rolled his eyes and groaned. "Yeah yeah…" He murmured unenthusiastically as he wolfed down the rest of his food. "Be seeing you at 3:30 today then Ignis."

"Very well."

"Later Ignis!" Prompto waved as he and Noctis dashed out of the door.

* * *

"Alright. Today's the day cadets." Captain Titus announced as he walked down the queued line of soldiers saluting him. "Today… if you succeed, you'll be trading in your Crownsguard uniform for the official garb of the Glaive."

Lightning took a deep breath as the weight of the meaning behind the sentence just spoken loomed over her like a foreboding shadow. Her friends beside her were all in their mode of pre battle jitters as all the many other cadets were. Hope's fingers were twitching, Vanille's hands were clasped together, Fang was grinning from ear to ear and Snow was pounding his fists together.

"As you all know, each uniform is tailor made for the soldier as seen with the unique cowls and helms we sport. If you succeed the trial, you'll have free reign to design your armor."

Lightning could hear Vanille squeak with excitement at the additional comment. "I'm going with a panther." Snow whispered to Lightning.

"I'm pickin' a behemoth." Fang said boldly. "What about you Sunshine?"

Admittedly, Lightning hadn't the faintest idea of what to pick for her garb. All through the month she was hung up on the details of the trial, studying past traditions and methods of passing them. "I'll decide one the trial is done and over with."

Titus faced the line of cadets standing tall and intimidating in his bulky armor. "Without further ado, the theme for this year's ascension is the Glaive Battle."

The announcement was met with a mixed coupling of voices: some groans, some undiscernible murmurs, but mainly excited whispers.

Lightning herself was smirking. "Perfect."

"The Glaive Battle consists of pairing cadets against an existing Glaive member. After a one on one bout, the Glaive member will either deem you worthy or unworthy of ascension. Remember, it's not always about brute strength, but wit as well. Now let's make haste, let the pairing draws begin!"

* * *

"Good afternoon your highness!" Several of Noctis's underclassmen greeted him as he marched through the school yard to reach his usual lunch spot – the table at the northwest outdoor seating area of the school café shaded by a white and blue parasol in addition to a large leafy tree.

"Afternoon." He greeted back casually causing the young women to giggle.

After pushing the dark brown wooden gate housing the outdoor seating area open Noctis heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Over here Noct!"

Already seated at the usual table was Iris, Prompto fondling and surprisingly Gladiolus. Iris waved and raised a box neatly tied up with a lavender furoshiki causing the prince to smile.

Noctis jogged over excitedly and dropped his bag down at the base of the table as he pulled a seat open and plopped down. "What's for lunch?"

"Hahaha, you sure know how to treat a lady Noct." Prompto said as he snapped a picture of the neatly wrapped lunch box. "But Iris's cooking is top notch!"

Iris giggled and carefully undid the knot of the furoshiki and laid out four lunch boxes on the table. "And what are you doing here?" Noctis looked towards Gladiolus. He was wearing his usual workout gear. Sweatpants, sneakers, a hoodie and flexible cap. "Surprised you haven't been kicked out yet. You're clearly not a student."

Gladiolus scoffed as he took the lunch box Iris handed him. "Thanks little sis. And there are some advantages to being the King's Shield ya know. Meaning privilege to make sure your kingly ass isn't being attacked. And cause I was hungry and forgot my lunchbox."

Noctis yawned, "Sounds about right."

"Alright!" Iris clapped her hands together. "For Noct I made Grilled Wild Barramundi. Ignis helped me with the recipe." Iris watched as Noctis's eyes lit up as she removed the lid of the box revealing the seafood dish.

"This looks great!" Noctis said excitedly and exchanged a smile with Iris.

"For Gladdy some Prairie Style Skewers— oh also Gladdy I restocked the pantry with cup ramen."

Gladiolus already in the middle of his meal stopped momentarily and ruffled his sister's hair. "Awesome! Now I won't go hungry after a workout!"

Iris rolled her eyes and fixed her hair, "And for Prompto Spicy Long-Bone Rib Steak."

"Woohoo! You sure went all out today!"

"You've gotta teach me how to make this sometime Iris." Noctis said between bites of his food. "And maybe some more pasta dishes… or steak dishes."

"Did ya get into trouble with Light?" Iris asked with a hint of sarcasm as she dug into her own Grilled Wild Barramundi."

Noctis practically gagged and chugged down his water. "Was it that obvious?"

"Yeah." Prompto and Gladiolus answered in unison as they teared through their lunch.

Noctis leaned back in his chair and stared at the gently swaying leaves of the shady tree. "Remind me to buy steak later Prompto."

"Aye!"

"Hey Noct," Gladiolus started as he finished his fifth skewer, "I'm gonna stop by the Glaive headquarters later so I'll be late to practice. Ignis'll cover while I'm out so don't be late. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah…" The prince responded plainly.

* * *

"Ugh!" Lightning was sent skidding to the floor as her spear clattered down next to her. "Just my luck…"

 ***1 hour earlier***

"Cadet Lightning, you will be moderated by Glaive Furia." Titus instructed as he read from the rolled piece of paper he drew and unraveled from a black and gold box.

"Great…" Lightning groaned and released and exasperated breath.

Tredd smiled which to Lightning mimicked a serpent. "The terms will be a point match. If you knock your opponent to the floor you will gain a point and consequently if you are knocked down, you will lose a point. The time limit will be five minutes. Get prepped and appear in the training hall in fifteen minutes."

"Pretty straightforward." Lightning commented sounding slightly surprised at the clear cut instruction half suspecting more unfavorable balances.

Tredd began to walk away towards his barracks but halted at the entrance to the hall. "Oh… and one more thing. Leave your blade behind. I will provide your weapon of choice."

"And there's the clincher."

 ***Present time***

Having little training with the spear was evident as the scoreboard read "5 to 0" in Tredd's favor as the clock ticked down from "3:45… 3:44…" Lightning grabbed her spear and hoisted herself up and tried to recall Fang's battle form. She remembered watching Noctis and Ignis train with spears as well but only for a short time. Not enough information to merit any real helpful strategies but it was all she had at the moment. She had to improvise and knew the risk was great.

Lightning bit her lip and analyzed her surroundings. _'No environmental hazards. It really is just a matter of besting your opponent with the tools you have at your disposal. Tredd uses daggers… just like all members of the Glaive. A tool easy to throw… and with His Majesty's blessing a means of travel. Warping.'_

The training hall was an astounding location amongst Glaive Headquarters all in its own right. The dubbed a "hall" it was actually an open air amphitheater where various Glaive initiations, trials, sparring matches and training exercises were executed. Lightning herself spent a large amount of hours in the area always looking to hone her skills. The actual arena was centered in the room, a circular raised platform surrounded by a ring of water.

Without her trusty blade at her side, Lightning was at a standstill. Working with a weapon she had no experience with was just like being paired with a new partner on a mission. No synergy whatsoever. "Guess it's time for a trial and error attempt."

"What's the matter Farron? Giving up already?" Tredd jeered as he balanced a dagger on his index finger.

Lightning clicked her tongue, "Far from it you pretentious prick." After muttering under her breath the soldier seized her spear and charged Tredd head on. She visualized the form Ignis used against Noctis and stomped on the ground using her feet as a source of power and thrust the spear forward.

Not anticipating such a burst of power from his opponent Tredd lost footing and fell to the floor but ironically managed to narrowly avoid the spear point due to the flop.

"Hey now?" Lightning planted the spear on the ground and looked down at Tredd with a smirk. "That's 5 to 1. Three minutes to go. Wanna quit now while you're still ahead… _Glaive Furia_?"

* * *

 **End Chapter**

Xethear: Glad to hear that people are enjoying the story so far. Plenty more surprises on the way so 'til then, please enjoy! The next chapter awaits!


	3. Chapter 3: To be a Glaive

Xethear: A quick note to mention before the chapter starts addressing **Bob's** question to chapter 2. Yes! Lightning has no idea Noct is the prince. She assumed their sparring sessions were the equivalent to say friends going to the gym. Or rather getting stronger because their world is inhabited by various monsters/daemons. Hope that clarifies and I appreciate the interest in story to point that detail out!

 **Chapter 3: To be a Glaive**

"That's 5 to 1. Three minutes to go. Wanna quit now while you're still ahead… _Glaive Furia_?"

Several cadets awaiting evaluation amongst the audience stands stifled snickers. It was no secret that Tredd viewed himself in an upper echelon amongst the Glaive and thus was seen in a notoriously negative light amongst the newcomers; so seeing one of their own stand up to the bully was satisfying. Snow made it evident as he shouted from the stands. "Show 'em who's boss Light!"

One lesson Lightning retained from watching Fang was a flair of sorts. The deft soldier gave the pommel of her spear a sharp kick giving it enough momentum to swing around her arm allowing her to twirl the weapon several times before seizing it in her fighting stance which caused a proud uproar from the crowd. Other Glaive members were watching from a designated stand and from the corner of her gaze Lightning saw Nyx smirk. He along with Libertus and Crowe were senior Glaive members she was actually fond of. Lightning would eat out with them and her friends after a hard day's work and they'd share stories, battle tips and laughs.

"Don't get so full of yourself after one lucky break." Tredd hissed. The man hoisted himself up and threw his dagger towards Lightning's left and immediately blinked beside her delivering a kick towards her side.

Luckily, having been familiar with "blinking" Lightning was prepared and used her spear to parry Tredd's boot and redirect it back towards the floor giving herself a moment to stab the weapon into the floor and propel herself towards the man landing a drop kick square on his chest.

Tredd, having the wind knocked out of him tumbled to the ground once more. The scoreboard let out a buzzing drone as the numbers shifted to "5 to 2." The crowd burst into more cheers.

"Yeah! Go Lightning!" Crowe cheered from the stands giving Lightning a sense of pride.

' _You can do this Lightning._ ' She told herself softly as a livid Tredd rose to his feet once more.

* * *

"Steak… steak… steak…" Noctis hummed to himself softly as he walked the aisles of the grocery store looking for a proper cut of beef for his girlfriend. He rarely did shopping (at least for food) since he got into the habit of simply buying packaged noodles for himself thanks to Gladiolus's influence. Prompto was doing the best he could to help but wasn't exactly a cooking aficionado either. Thankfully the duo had Iris to accompany them before heading back to the Amicitia household for the afternoon fencing lesson.

"Here Noct, I'm sure she'll like this cut." Iris said happily as she handed the prince a brown piece of parchment labeled "Garulessa Steak."

Noctis smiled and gave Iris a nod. "I'll take your word on that."

After purchasing the steak (and several bags of chips, carbonated beverages and chocolate for the guilty pleasure) the three headed back to Iris's house passing the time by with casual talk and photo ops from Prompto.

As they walked up to the patio Noctis noticed Ignis sitting by the door scanning the contents of his notepad. "Nice of you to finally join me." After stuffing the journal inside his coat pocket which hung on the back of his chair the confidant rose and chucked a wooden sword at Noctis. "Proper form now. En garde Highness!"

* * *

Lightning panted heavily as she rose up from being knocked to the floor yet another time. Using her spear as support she took a moment to catch her breath and take up her fighting stance once more. The clock was winding down and read "1:30… 1:29…" and continued to tic as the match drew on. Tredd himself was looking weary from Lightning's refusal to forfeit the match evident by the bruising on his face and dirt scuffs on his uniform. However, the scoreboard read "10 to 7" in Tredd's favor. Even the crowd grew hushed as the gravity of the situation began to settle in. If Lightning couldn't best Tredd, it was more than likely she wouldn't get into the Glaive this time around.

"What's the matter Farron? Running out of steam?"

Lightning spat on the floor and grunted. "You wish. And I know you're not considering the amount of hot air your spouting." Despite her brave front, Lightning hated to admit to herself but she was running on energy reserves. _'This isn't good… I really need to wrap this up. I'm pretty exhausted. You better have some steak ready for later Noct.'_

"A minute left in the trial!" Titus's voice boomed through the speakers.

"Damn it!" Lightning frantically looked for a means to knock Tredd off balance as her repeated methods began to fail. He was starting to take notice of her battle patterns. Lightning attempted to use the same spear support drop kick combo but Tredd decided to blink behind Lightning, kick her spear dislodging it from the floor and thus cause her to crash towards the floor.

The scoreboard buzzer caused Lightning's heart to drop. "11 to 7… 40 seconds left… I need to score five more times with only 8 seconds divided equally amongst them. How in the…"

Panic began to settle inside Lightning's head. One thing she always had trouble with was fear, specifically the fear of failure. The possibility of being defeated by Tredd made things worse. But it was precisely that fear which made the gears in Lightning's head to kick it into overdrive. "Remember, it's not all about brute force. Use your head." Lightning recalled that the specific spear she was using was a prototype weapon (which made fighting with it all the more difficult) but it was infused with electrical energy channeled by a jewel embedded into the center of the spear point.

"Guess I'll have to use it." Lightning sighed seeing as how all her options seemed limited. After swallowing the large pill that was her pride Lightning hurled her spear towards the sky as hard as she could and used the electrical energy to boost the distance.

"Have you lost your mind? What do you intend to accomplish by discarding your weap—" Tredd froze midsentence. He had taken his eyes off of Lightning for a moment to glance at the spear and found she was right in front of him.

"Ha!" Lightning clenched her teeth as she delivered a swift series of body blows towards Tredd's abdomen.

"Gah!" He groaned as he was pushed back towards the ring of water at the edge of the arena. Upon realization of what Lightning was trying to do, Tredd's eyes grew wide. _'She's trying to push me into the water! It'll be a technical knockout!'_ "You…!" Tredd threw one of his daggers off to the side and blinked away. "You won't best me you—" For the second time Tredd's words failed him. Lightning had vanished. "How did she… unless…!"

Tredd's suspicions were confirmed when he saw a small shadow by his feet grow larger and larger. He quickly looked up but anything he wanted to see was momentarily obscured because the Glaive had to avert his gaze from the bright sun.

Lightning had blinked up to where her spear was in midair. For a moment, it was as if time had frozen. She had a bird's eye view of the headquarters, the clock tower of Noctis's campus was off towards the distance and she could even make out part of the apartment complex they were residing in off in the opposite direction. Though cadets were able to borrow the king's power and "blink" (limited to five times a day) it was that very principle which lead Lightning to refrain from using the ability. It was borrowed power. Power which did not belong to her and many of her accomplishments were brought about because of her own prowess. Using the ability took quite the toll on her pride, but losing to Tredd would have been a much larger travesty.

"HAAAAH!" Lightning triggered a button on the spear shaft activating two small prongs located wear the spear pole and point to spread altering the polearm's straight shape into a "T" shape. Using the newly activated bars as footholds Lightning then activated one more button, the electrical shield generator. It was as if the soldier was wrapped in a transparent blue blanket of electrical energy. She felt lighter, free and safe.

Lightning directed her falling trajectory towards the area just a few feet in front of Tredd. "Take this you pompous bastard!" She growled furiously as she came crashing down from the heaven's like a bolt out of the blue.

Tredd could only watch in disbelief as the soldier's reflection grew in his irises. "How did she manage—"

A thunderous boom silenced Tredd's sentence as Lightning collided into the arena. Dust, debris and large pieces of rubble erupted from the floor like a volcano, obscuring the aftermath of the attack. The clock of the scoreboard read "0:00" and continued to blink on and off having reached time. Captain Titus leaned over the railing of the Glaive members' viewing box to examine the field.

A hazy figure shifted in the dust and smoke slowly growing more focused until finally bursting from the cloud in a fit of coughing was Lightning. The drained soldier fell to the ground beside her spear and dry heaved as she stared at the clouds in the sky. Her ears were still ringing so the audience's cheers were muffled but she was very well impressed with her own feat. Gradually the cheers became more clear. They were chanting her name. "Lightning! Lightning!"

Once all the smoke had cleared however, Tredd too became visible, unconscious by the edge of the arena. He had almost tumbled into the water.

Using what little energy she had left Lightning turned her body and read the scoreboard. "11 to 8," forcing Tredd into the water for a technical knockout was her last ditch effort and it seemed to have failed.

She bit her lip trying to hold back the stinging sensation of tears forming in her eyes. "Just great…" She pounded her fist against the floor of the arena. "Can this day get any worse?"

Lightning's friends immediately rushed the field along with Nyx, Libertus and Crowe. "That was quite the attack Farron." Nyx praised as he watched Fang and Crowe lift Lightning to her feet.

"Off to the infirmary with you." Libertus instructed.

"And wipe that frown off your face. It's not like you've failed… yet." Crowe said with a smirk. "The three of us still have a say in the matter."

Lightning looked bewildered. "What're you talking abou—"

"We know Tredd will probably fail you." Nyx started. "But considering the reactions of the audience and us seeing your skills firsthand I believe even the Captain would see failing you as a travesty."

"Nyx is right Light. I read about this type of ruling in the Glaive handbook." Hope reassured his friend. "For now what's important is that you get some rest in the infirmary."

Lightning gave Hope a weak smile and nodded. "I'll do just that."

After making sure Lightning was comfortable in the infirmary, everyone left her alone to complete their Glaive trials. It was a little too quite but relaxing nonetheless. The bed Lightning occupied had curtains strewn around it to provide privacy. Once situated in a comfortable position, she took her phone out of her pocket and saw that she had two new messages: one from the morning and one half an hour ago.

The first message was from her sister and though it was short and simple it made her smile. "Kick Furia's ass today Light!"

The second message was just as heartwarming. "Guess what's for dinner tonight." Lightning read out loud as she opened up a picture Noctis had sent her. It was a photo of himself holding the brown package of Garulessa Steak in his hands. "Let's hope I don't burn it."

"Let's…" Lightning murmured softly as she felt her eyes grow heavy. And soon the tired soldier was fast asleep.

* * *

Lightning awoke an hour later to a familiar voice in the room.

"So… trials… okay?"

She was still a bit groggy but with each word spoken, the voice grew more and more familiar. It was deep and gruff.

"Any new Glaive members make it in?"

"We'll find out later today." She recognized a second voice to be Crowe's.

"Sounds good. Thanks for the message. I'll relay it to dad as soon as I can."

Finally, Lightning was alert after listening in on the two's conversation. Once realizing the origin of the first voice she froze up. It was Gladiolus.

' _What is he doing here?! Is he interested in being a Glaive as well? I can't let him know I'm here. He might tell Noct!'_ Just to confirm her suspicions Lightning slid one finger along the gap of the curtains and peaked outside. Sure enough the man was leaning by the doorway reading a letter taken from a torn envelope. Crowe was sitting at the nurse's desk, Lightning assumed to be covering for the nurse on standby in the arena.

Once Gladiolus looked up Lightning fell back in bed and instinctually held her breath.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you then Crowe."

"Likewise."

A minute passed. Then two. After five minutes Lightning tore the curtains open and ran towards a shocked Crowe. "What was Gladiolus doing here Crowe?! You know him?"

"Of course I do, he's part of the Amicitia household."

Lightning's eyes grew wide. "Those sworn to be the King's shields? He has that family lineage?"

Crowe nodded and crossed one leg over the other, "The very same."

"I never knew his last name… so Noct has a friend linked to the King huh? Impressive." For a moment, Lightning was lost in thought but brought herself back to reality with a shake of the head. "Anyways, please don't tell him I'm working to be a Glaive. He may tell Noct." _'I'll tell him when the time is right.'_

Crowe raised her brow, "Noct? As in Noctis?"

"Yeah?"

The senior Glaive pondered for a moment as she thought of her next question. "What's his full name?"

Lightning stared at Crowe skeptically. "Noctis Gar. But he prefers Noct."

* * *

"How's that alias treating you by the way _Noct Gar_?" Prompto asked with a snicker as he ate the first Garulessa Steak Noctis tried to prepare for lunch. The charred edges gave the dish an unappealing appearance and a bitter aftertaste.

"So far so good." Noctis responded as he spat his bite into a napkin. "Garbage…" He said with a disapproving shake of his head. "I'm glad the campus doesn't allow non-students—save for Gladio—inside the school, else Light would be hearing everyone call me _Highness_."

"Hey Prince Charmless," Gladiolus started as he walked into the kitchen, "I'm back. You had fun relaxing? How'd he do Ignis?"

Ignis took a moment to stop monitoring a soup simmering in a pot to answer the King in waiting's Shield. "He's gotten faster. Some of his sword swings are unorthodox, but I can say he's improved with daggers and polearms."

Gladiolus turned to Noctis who held a cheeky smirk on his face. "You heard that?"

"Don't get cocky." Gladiolus chuckled. "Wrap it up, greatsword training in ten. See ya in the yard."

Noctis fell crestfallen as he set aside his failed dish. He washed his hands and made his way towards the door when Iris stopped him momentarily with a grab on his wrist. "No worries Noct. Ignis and I will take care of supper. You can pack some for Light and we'll try again another time."

Iris's comment immediately lifted Noctis's spirits. "Wow… I don't know what to say."

"You could thank the lady Noct." Ignis said with a small chuckle as he tasted the broth of the soup.

"Err… right. Thanks Iris." He said and ruffled the young woman's hair. "Thanks too Ignis. You comin' Prompto? You know for photos?"

"Oh you bet!" The blonde leapt up excitedly and followed Noctis into the yard where Gladiolus awaited with two wooden greatswords in hand.

"By the way Noct," The man said as he handed Noctis one of the training weapons, "Got a message from the Glaive today. Looks like my dad and the king want to see us tomorrow."

"Hngh!" Noctis swung at Gladiolus who parried skillfully. "A summons? What for?"

Gladiolus balanced the sword on his shoulder before leaping forward with an overhead swing forcing Noctis to dodge roll out of harm's way. "Not sure, but the letter I got did mention Lady Lunafreya."

"With Luna…? Huh…"

"Pay attention!" Gladiolus barked and swung horizontally at Noctis. Had the prince been prepared he would have dodged or parried, but given his momentary reverie instinctually blocked and was sent rolling several feet into the garden.

"Way to hold back… ugh…" Noctis rolled over onto his back and stared at the sky. "Wonder what Light's up to."

* * *

"Noct Gar…" Crowe repeated before stifling a snicker. _'I know his majesty mentioned not to blow the prince's cover but what a ridiculous name.'_

Lightning found Crowe's actions slightly curious, but not enough to merit further investigation. "Anyways, I need a favor Crowe."

"Hm?"

"Do you know if Vanille is free right now?"

Crowe shifted her attention to the computer on the desk and typed away navigating to a page that listed the Glaive trials that had been completed. "It looks like she finished her trial ten minutes ago. Do you want me to come get her?"

"Please. I need to take some precautions in case Gladiolus comes back while I'm up and about."

Crowe nodded and rose from her seat. "Be right back." She said before shutting the door behind her.

For a moment, the only sound heard in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall until Lightning breathed a deep sigh of relief. "What is this day turning into?" She grabbed her phone off the nightstand by the bed and sent a message to her sister.

" _I kicked Furia's ass. Don't know if I passed or failed yet. Waiting is torture."_

Five minutes had passed before her phone sounded a chocobo wark—her text tone.

" _Don't worry. I'm sure you did great! If they fail you, I'm gonna come down there and give them a piece of my mind."_

Lightning laughed. "I'm sure you would little sis."

It was then the infirmary door swung open and Lightning's vision became partially obscured by red curly pigtails. "Oh are you alright Light?!" Vanille asked slightly panicked. The redhead's forte was first aid so she immediately began checking Lightning's temperature.

Lightning grabbed her friend by the wrists, "I'm fine Vanille. Don't worry."

"Are you sure? No headache? Side pains? Toothache?"

"Really. It's alright Vanille."

The young woman grew meek as she finally collected herself and sat by Lightning's bedside.

After calming her friend Lightning spoke once again. "I need a favor. Could you make a wig for me?"

* * *

Noctis arrived at the apartment complex first, carrying a packed dinner made by Ignis and Iris for Lightning and himself. He had a bit of trouble balancing his pack and the dinner as he got into the elevator, but luckily Prompto was there to accompany him.

"Going up good sir?" Prompto snickered as he hit the number "5" button on the button panel. "What time does Light get back anyway?"

"In about half an hour or so. Why?"

"Wanna get a game in of King's Knight?" The blonde asked referring to the mobile game their group of friends played together.

"You're on! Actually, I need help with the raid. Gladio already has the five-star character from it."

"What how?!"

"Not sure, but we need to play catch up."

With help from Prompto once again, Noctis was able to enter his apartment without issue. He kicked his shoes off in exchange for some slippers and after placing the dinner boxes on the counter top he flung his pack onto the couch. Prompto grabbed some chips from the cabinet and two carbonated beverages from the refrigerator and then switched the tv on before joining the prince in the living room.

"Food, background noise, let's start the raid Noct!"

Half an hour flew by like a blink of an eye for the two immersed in their video game. Before they knew it the sounds of keys being jammed into the doorknob broke them out of their virtual world.

"I'm home." Lightning said sounding exhausted but somewhat cheerful.

Noctis rushed over to the door immediately, "Welcome back!" he managed to say while still chewing on some chips.

Lightning dropped her bag to the floor and fell into Noctis's arms and buried her face in his chest. "Mmm… tired."

Noctis stroked her rose colored locks gently and chuckled. Rough day huh?"

She nuzzled his chest savoring his warmth and scent, "Considering Prompto's shoes are by the doorway it's a surprise you two haven't burnt the whole place down by now."

At the sound of his name the blonde peeked from the corner of the wall with camera in hand. "Hey Light! Say chocobo!" And without wasting another second Prompto caught a snapshot of the two in a loving embrace. "Oh, love the lighting! It sets the atmosphere perfectly!"

The couple (momentarily forgetting about Prompto's presence) broke from their hug feeling embarrassed. Lightning grabbed her bag and headed straight for the bedroom to change out of her retail disguise. After slipping on some leggings and putting on one of Noctis's black shirts (out of laziness to go through her own closet) she headed back out into the living room.

She caught the two friends immersed with their phones and immediately knew what they were up to. "Hey!" She said loudly as she leapt over the couch and rested her head on Noctis's lap. "I need help with the raid mission too. Fang already has the five-star character."

Noctis and Prompto both shared a laugh. "You got here just in time Ms. Bedhead. Our stamina just refilled from our last level up."

Lightning chuckled and flipped her phone on and navigated to the King's Knight app. "You sound like such a nerd."

"Is that a problem?" Noctis asked with a smirk as he dipped down towards Lightning's lips.

"Nope." She responded softly as he gave her a quick kiss.

"You're wearing my shirt again?"

"Is _that_ a problem?"

"Nope. Keep doing it. My shirts always smell better afterwards."

"Ughhh…" Prompto glared at the couple. "Enough with the lovey dovey, we got some undead army to defeat!"

Noctis and Lightning stared at Prompto in silence for several seconds before all their faces steeled with the same expression.

"Game on!" They said in unison.

* * *

The trio played their game of King's Knight for an hour or so making satisfactory progress on their respective files evident to the toast they made after playing. After seeing Prompto off Noctis dumped his homework for the night on the coffee table while Lightning helped while watching her tv shows.

"Name the Six Gods of Yore and the significance they hold towards the Oracle and King…" Noctis read the question to his mythology assignment out loud and shut his eyes. "So that's Titan the Archaean, Ramuh the Fulgurian, Leviathan the Hydraean, Shiva the Glacian, Bahamut the Draconian and Ifrit the Infernian right?" He looked at Lightning who had been lying down on the couch and was tilting her bag of chips over her face to eat up the remaining crumbs.

"Mrrrhm." She nodded while she chewed. "And if you have any astrology questions lemme know cause I could help loads with that. My favorite constellation after all is—"

"Odin right?"

"Yeah."

"Will do and thanks for the help again Light. It makes this boring chore a little less boring."

"No prob. Now can it Noct, the coliseum matches are starting and I bet Fang that the Treant would beat the Cockatrice."

Noctis jumped, "It's on right now?! I bet against Gladio! I'm gonna take a break and—"

Lightning jabbed Noctis's side with her foot. "Nuh uh, you finish the assignment now and then take a break. You're gonna break your flow if you stop now. At least finish the question you're on while it's still fresh in your mind."

Noctis sighed, "Dammit… I'm gonna miss it."

"You'll miss more if you keep mumbling. Hop to it Noct."

"Yeah yeah…" Noctis sulked sounding completely defeated.

It was hard for Noctis to complete his assignment with announcer's constant remarks of the rollercoaster of a battle between the two featured monsters. The crowd in Altissia's coliseum were going wild as the beasts exchanged attacks. Ultimately in the end, the Cockatrice defeated the Treant sending half of the audience into melancholy along with Lightning and Noctis.

"Looks like I'm buying Fang lunch tomorrow…"

"And I gotta wake up at dawn to go on a run with Gladio…"

Lightning pushed herself up from the couch and reviewed Noctis's work over his shoulder. "Speaking of Gladio, why didn't you tell me he was an Amicitia?"

Noctis froze. "A-A what?"

Lightning's eyes never left Noctis's paper, "You know, family serving as the King's Shield since times of yore? You didn't tell me you had a friend who served directly for the king."

"To be fair since moving here eight months ago, you never even knew Lucis had a king."

"Hmm… true… ah! Check number seven again. Where I came from, we didn't have a king. At least not for Bodhum."

"You've got to take me there sometime. Sounds like a good vacation spot."

"Of course. There's a lot to see there."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Noctis scanned his answer Lightning pointed out and discovered there was indeed a mistake, a spelling one at that. While correcting his slip up Lightning's phone rang and she excused herself to their room saying it was a work call.

Once she shut the door behind her Lightning answered. "Hello, this is…"

* * *

 ***Five hours earlier***

"So can you do it Vanille?"

"No worries. Leave it to me Light. I can't believe Gladio showed up here. Who knew! Are you sure of the color though? A sort of platinum blonde right?"

"Yeah, I need to but unrecognizable when I'm here."

"Alrighty. Oh! And congrats again on passing Light! I knew you could do it"

Vanille gave Lightning a big hug before running off to complete the wig task her friend entrusted to her.

Lightning smiled and waited until Vanille had turned the corner before she took a deep breath and entered Captain Titus's office. Inside awaiting was Captain Titus himself, a proud looking Nyx and a disgruntled Tredd Furia with an ice pack over his face.

"Congratulations Cadet Farron. After reviewing your performance trial, I am proud to welcome you abroad the Glaive. Your skill not only showcased strength, but intelligence as well." Titus extended his gauntlet which Lightning shook with contained excitement. "How would you like your uniform designed?"

"Actually, Cadet Vanille has my rough ideas. We'll turn in the papers tomorrow. But there is a modification I'd like done before then."

Titus raised his brow. "What would that be."

"It has to do with my title. I don't want it to be Lightning Farron. I'll explain…"

 ***Present time***

Lightning brought her phone to her ear and answered clearly. "Hello, this is Aranea Highwind."

* * *

 **End Chapter**

Xethear: *Dramatic music* So whilst playing Final Fantasy XV I always had a thought that Aranea's armor resembled that of Lightning's in Lightning Returns. They're both strong female characters and thus this chapter was born. Kind of a twist but yes! Hope you all enjoyed and 'til next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Stand Tall

Xethear: Hey everyone, sorry for the late update. Been busy with school and a job kinda like Noct and Light haha. Thanks for your patience and glad to see the reactions from the previous chapters. Here's the next one!

Note: Hope is around 19 years old in this fic, so his older form.

 **Chapter 4: Stand Tall**

After Lightning's phone call detailing her disguise within the Glaive due to her situation, she returned to the living room where Noctis had dinner set up on the coffee table. He had reheated their meal in the oven so that the steaks were piping hot.

The smell lingering from the meat danced around Lightning's nose like mischievous pixies. It quickly drew her back to the couch where she greedily seized her utensils and cut into the dish.

"I have a confession." Noctis said as the couple began their meal. He watched as a look of utter bliss washed over Lightning's face after she took her first bite. "I didn't cook this. Iris and Ignis did."

"Yeah, I figured." Lightning said with a smirk.

Noctis raised his brow skeptically. "And what do you mean by that Ms. Bedhead."

Lightning leaned forward towards Noctis, "I mean it tastes too good…" She closed the distance between their faces as she continued to speak, "Too chef-y," Noctis could feel her warm breath brush over his lips now, "Too luxurious to have been made by my klutz of a boyfriend." She finished and quickly drew back and returned to her meal.

Noctis's face grew a faint hint of pink from being teased. "You know one of these days, I'll make you eat those words and my food with an amazing recipe I cooked by myself."

"Why wait? I'll eat your food right now."

"Huh?" Before Noctis could react, Lightning cut a piece of his steak away and banished it into her mouth.

"Payback from this morning." She boasted proudly as she chewed. She couldn't get over how tender the meat was and how perfectly it was season. She knew Ignis and Iris were great cooks but together they were outstanding.

There was an audible clatter as the sound of Noctis's fork falling on his plate caused Lightning to pause. She turned and saw her boyfriend slowly creeping towards her side of the couch with his hands held in front of him. He was wiggling his fingers which caused Lightning to tense up. "You. Wouldn't. Dare."

Lightning's threatening tone fell on deaf ears as Noctis expended no chance to let his girlfriend escape as he pounced on top of her and ran his fingers up and down her sides relentlessly causing the woman to enter a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "How's this for payback?!"

"Hahaha! I— haha! I'm gonna— haha! Clobber you later you big knucklehead! Hahaha!"

' _This is worth it.'_ Noctis thought to himself, feeling a sense of accomplishment well up inside him. In normal circumstances he would never be so forward. His friends knew him more to be the one to dismiss matters of intimacy with a few words for a response, a scoff, or pretending to nod off. And it was his strategy during the first few weeks when he tried courting Lightning. Of course that strategy bore no fruit since Lightning was such a bold, blunt, and forward woman. The old Noctis was like a cat not wanting to be disturbed whilst Lightning was like a tiger with her head held high.

It took some encouragement from his friends (along with an elaborate setup to get him alone with Lightning in the popular café in the town plaza) for him to muster enough courage to ask Lightning out for a movie, dinner and to Lightning's preference, a small sparring match. Noctis then discovered from Serah that whenever someone would try to romance Lightning, she would gauge their skill with their weapon of choice and it was very understandable due to the circumstances involving their world of Eos. It was a land inhabited by various monsters and daemons and Lightning wanted someone strong and trustworthy to depend on.

After several minutes of merciless tickling the two finally continued their meal. Lightning was blushing furiously and had taken to eating her meal at the very edge of the couch as far away from Noctis as she could. Noctis on the other hand had a content smile on his face relishing the fresh memory of his girlfriend's smile and laugh in his head.

Whenever Lightning was immersed in something (be it her food or the tv show) Noctis would take the opportunity to inch a little closer to her on the couch until she finally noticed when he was a foot away from her.

She pouted and nudged him away with her foot but he ended up wrapping his arms around her waist and lied his head down on her lap. "Hey Light?"

The man received no response. He looked up and saw Lightning staring at the tv while she continued her meal making it obvious she was ignoring him. He smirked and nuzzled her abdomen causing her to jump. "Hnngh!" She glared at him and pinched his nose. "Don't do that!" Her blush deepened with every word. "What do you want?"

"Lestallum's power originated from the Disc right?" His voice sounded nasally due to his nostrils being closed off.

Lightning laughed and nodded. "Disc of Cauthess yeah."

"Cool." He said in his nasally tone once more allowing Lightning one more chuckle before she withdrew her hand. "That was one of the questions on the assignment." Lightning hummed in response as she took another bite of her food when suddenly something dawned on Noctis. "Hey Light?"

"What now you troublemaker?"

"Did Gladio tell you his last name?"

Lightning's body grew rigid from the realization of her slip up. She kept a poker face but her mind was rapidly searching for a scapegoat excuse. "Oh… umm, one of my coworkers told me because they had connections with his father."

Noctis's eyes grew wide. "Wow, that's some coworker." _'Crap! I never thought of looking into Light's job. If her coworker knows Gladio he or she may know me. Gotta talk to this coworker as soon as possible.'_ "By the way Light, after my jog with Gladio tomorrow, I'm going to go meet his dad. Seems like he has some business with us, might be home late." _'Or rather my dad has business with us…'_

Lightning looked down at Noctis while she was in the middle of chewing her food. "Got it." She swallowed. "I have some business to tend to myself. It looks like I'm getting that promotion."

"Wha—?!" Noctis jolted up. "You shoulda told me sooner!"

"Well I kinda just found out."

Noctis shook his head, "No matter, we're definitely celebrating sometime! I'll see if I can come home early tomorrow!"

Lightning blushed, she wasn't used to high matters of praise from someone before, aside from her sister. Though Noctis's words made her happy, she was stubborn to show it despite her blush. She simply shrugged and continued on with her meal. "It's no big deal." She said coyly.

Noctis narrowed his gaze and walked around the couch and crouched down by the armrest next to Lightning. "Hey Light?"

Lightning turned to face the man, "What's with all the questions— mmph!" Without warning, Noctis had closed his eyes, dipped forward and placed a tender kiss on Lightning's lips.

The warm sensation shook Lightning causing a pleasurable shiver to jolt her body. She stared wide-eyed but soon began to enter a dream like trance as her vision grew misty. She was locked within his spell and she didn't mind it at all. Her eyes slowly began to close until she saw him slowly open his. His deep azure reflected in her pale aqua. She was melting from his touch but regained her strength after several seconds of indulgence. She shoved him away and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Her chest was pounding and her face was burning. Though she could push him away all she wanted, there was no denying how she truly felt as it was painted vividly red across her face.

"You've beautiful eyes Ms. Bedhead." Noctis grinned, "Congrats on the promotion~"

All Lightning could do was stare back in shock before quickly turning away. She averted her gaze down to her plate to hide her eyes behind her fringe as she tried to calm her beating heart. The occasions where Noctis was bold made her feel tingly inside. She could only praise herself silently for her unexpected reward while her face continued to grow warm.

* * *

"C'mon! You can do better than that Noct!" Gladiolus shouted meters ahead from a panting Noctis.

"Easy for you to say you muscle head… guh…!" Noctis placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. In addition to waking up at dawn, Gladiolus had decided to run on the beach with Noctis in compliance with their coliseum wager. Running on sand was proving harder than expected to the prince whose forehead, face and neck already trickled with sweat. "This feels gross…" He complained as he caught up with Gladiolus. He could feel the sweat matting his hair causing it to stick to his face.

"Gotta keep the future king in good shape. Betcha Light would like some muscle on that scrawny body of yours."

Noctis's cheeks grew a slight hint of red as he suddenly increased his pace. "Hey! I got muscle…! You just can't see it."

The prince's burst of strength caused Gladiolus to smirk. _'Just gotta mention his girlfriend and he gets all sorts of reserved strength.'_

The two continued on along the beach as the sun began to rise over the horizon. The cool, crisp air refreshed Noctis as he continued to jog and he had to admit, it felt nice. "Maybe this isn't so bad every now and then."

"Same time tomorrow then?"

"Ahaha, no." The two shared a laugh and decided to rest by a nearby campsite near a cove. "By the way Gladio, do you know any of Light's coworkers?"

Gladiolus had just finished splashing water on his face and hair. "Huh? Don't think so. I'm not sure I've ever been to her job. Where does she work again?"

"Some retail place."

"You ever been there?"

Noctis shook his head, "Can't say I have. My school life balanced with the whole prince-king prep work life keeps me pretty busy. And it seems the same with Light."

Gladiolus rubbed his chin, "Yeah, guess that makes sense. Maybe it was at some clothing store Iris dragged me to…"

"Maybe… we can ask Iris if any stores come into mind later."

Gladiolus nodded, "Yeah. Alright, break times over! Hop to it!"

Noctis groaned but gave his friend a reluctant nod and began to run again.

* * *

Lightning stared at herself in the mirror. Her rose colored hair was masked by a platinum blonde wig that framed her face and sported a ponytail. Her new armor signifying Glaive membership was made of a light, flexible metal colored mostly black with red edges. The heels of her light cocoa boots were adorned with a fixture which could link with her spear to keep her footing for her lightning crash attack she used against Tredd now dubbed "Highwind." Snow had suggested other names but the other Glaive members liked the sound of Highwind which also became part of Lightning's alias. She was actually quite impressed with her new identity. It wasn't the first time she changed her name after all. "Hello Aranea." She told her reflection as she placed her mask over her face.

"Glaive Highwind, to the briefing quarters." A voice through the intercom sounded.

"Let's see what the new day has in store for us." Lightning twirled her spear and attached it to the holster on her back before making her way towards the conference room. Her heels clicked along the smooth surface of the hallways as she rounded corners and waved hello to fellow soldiers. It was a sound that she found solace in. Something small and simple. It was a sound she attributed to the start of her day ever since she joined the Glaive's as a cadet.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a black onyx door with a silver doorknob. "Aranea Highwind reporting in." She annunciated clearly as she passed through the threshold. There awaiting in the rectangular room was Captain Titus, Nyx and all other Glaive members including her friends who all seemed to have passed their exams. The room itself was quite large as it had to house all Glaive members. A large circular fixture was centered in the room which Lightning immediately recognized as a tool to initiate holograms.

Captain Titus gave Lightning a nod already aware of her identity change and reasoning behind it. "Right then. That's everyone. We will now begin the briefing." Titus raised his hand as all Glaives gathered around the fixture. The wall sconces in the room grew dimmer as the panels on the surface of the fixture lit up detailing an elaborate reconstruction of the Citadel. From the corner of her eye Lightning noticed Tredd giving her the stink eye, however it didn't bother her; in fact, it was a simple reminder of her success.

"Now as you all know, Lucis and Niflheim have agreed to a peace treaty. All lands beyond the walls of Insomnia are to be surrendered and an arranged marriage is in the works." Several magitek engines appeared on the holo-grid as Titus continued speaking. "Now we have suspicions that the Niflheim forces are planning an attack once inside the walls of Insomnia so we need to be prepared. You'll find your assigned stations on your desks. We mobilize in several days." He then turned to Lightning. "As for you Aranea, you will select to other members to come alongside you in an infiltration mission that will be executed tonight."

Lightning froze for several seconds before looking up to meet the Captain's eyes. "Tonight?" She repeated. "That's quite short notice Captain. Shouldn't we have been given more time to prepare?"

Titus nodded and handed Lightning a vanilla folder. "Yes and that time is now. Glaive Crowe is already out on the field. We were informed of the opportune moment for reconnaissance today and it's best we not waste it."

Lightning could feel a sense of guilt wash over her. "I take it there's no possible way to execute the mission tomorrow?" She asked sounding hopeful. She really wanted to spend the rest of the day with Noctis because he wanted to celebrate her promotion and though she wouldn't openly admit it, she was looking forward to it.

"I take it you had plans of sorts Highwind? I'm sure you know that your job comes first in this profession."

Lightning sighed, "Yes sir." She had seen her fair share of infiltration missions back in her hometown of Bodhum. She once had to disguise herself as a passenger on a train suspected of executing kidnappings and along with her friends, managed to bring the culprits to justice. _'I'll just have to tell him another time I suppose.'_

She turned to her friends. "Hope, I could use your strategy, and Fang, I'm sure you're up for it."

Fang grinned and bashed her knuckles together. "You know it Sunshine."

"You can always count on me Ligh— I mean Aranea." Hope gave Lightning a shy smile as he adjusted his collar.

"Very well." Titus said with a smile. "The rest save for you three are excused."

Once all other Glaive members had vacated the area Titus addressed the three in the room. "Now, this is a particularly risky mission but it was assigned to you Aranea for your overall performance levels of past tasks along with your Glaive trial. You truly exceeded expectations.

Lightning smiled and gave her commanding officer a small bow. "Thanks for the kind words."

Titus raised his hand and chuckled. "Right, now the task at hand is to pose as a mercenary for Niflheim's army. You will enter as a sell sword along with your companions and relay information of Niflheim's plans should they have any, to us. Our pilot Sazh will fly you out tonight on a Niflheim magitek engine we commandeered so that your disguise remains intact. If you've any loose ends to tie up, now would be the time because you won't be returning until the peace treaty signing."

Lightning simply nodded as she had already began to formulate an excuse to tell Noctis.

* * *

"To Tenebrae huh?" Noctis looked up at his father from the bottom steps of the throne as his friends stood behind him. "It's been a while since I've seen Luna. Sure I'll go see her dad, but I will not marry her."

King Regis pushed himself off the throne, cane in hand and slowly walked down the steps alongside Clarus Amicitia to meet his son face to face.

Noctis watched standing stiffly in place. The king's words still shook him. _'There will be a peace signing but in addition to ceding lands beyond Insomnia to Niflheim, you must discuss marriage with Lady Lunafreya so that Lucis may stand tall with Tenebrae should problems arise.'_

The prince flinched each time the king's knee braced squeaked and his cane tap on the staircase. He averted his gaze to distance himself from his father's stern look expecting a scolding. The last thing he anticipated was feeling a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. "I understand my son." Noctis gasped and quickly looked up to see his father's smiling face. "You must understand that I never want to wish you ill. I wish nothing but happiness. I now merely ask that you speak with Lady Lunafreya of this matter. Perhaps the two of you may reach an accord seeing as how you both have been friends for such a long time."

Noctis couldn't help but smile. "Thanks dad."

King Regis then leaned forward to whisper. "And between you and me Noct, I hear she may actually fancy you."

Noctis scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Dad quit it. Besides, you know I have a girlfriend."

"Whom I've yet to meet mind you. Come now, when will you let your father meet this young lass. I hear she's had quite the positive influence on you." King Regis glanced over Noctis's shoulder which prompted the prince to turn around and inspect his friends.

"Alright, who told him what?" He watched as his friends decided to dismiss his question with small talk amongst themselves, whistling and other distractions. "You guys are the greatest." The prince sighed as his sarcasm lingered.

King Regis chuckled. "Make haste now my son. You leave at dusk today. I've arranged lodgings at Hammerhead just a little ways off of Insomnia. You must arrive there before nightfall for the daemons spawn with the cover of darkness. There will be a man there named Cid, he will care for you. He's a good man, I've known him for quite a time and—"

"Whoa slow down there dad." Noctis scrunched his face as he stared at his father with his mouth slightly agape. "Leave **today**? That's short notice don't you think?"

King Regis exchanged a knowing glance with Clarus who practically exuded an aura that shouted "I told you so." Regis sighed and nodded. "For that I apologize Noct. However, we need to make sure you are out of Insomnia before Niflheim arrives." He then directed his attention to the three Crownsguard members behind Noctis. "I trust you will keep him safe?"

Gladiolus and Ignis bowed in unison with Prompto following several seconds behind having been unaccustomed to a royal summons. "You can count on us your majesty." Gladiolus looked up at his father and saw a proud smile on his face.

"It is our utmost honor Highness." Ignis emphasized.

"Y-Yeah! Me too!" Prompto sputtered nervously and hid his embarrassment with a deeper bow.

Noctis couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But—!" He clenched his fists and stared at the ground. "What am I supposed to tell Light?"

King Regis furrowed his brow, "Noct, the best advice I can give you right now, is to tell her the truth."

"Tch…"

"Ultimately the decision is up to you Noct. Stand tall and walk forward my son."

Noctis felt his father squeeze his shoulder and looked up to be met with a comforting smile. He let out a deep sigh, "Alright… I'll tell her the truth."

* * *

Lightning paced back and forth inside the apartment complex as she stared at her half-finished letter. She tapped her pen against her thigh and clicked her tongue in rhythm before crumpling the piece of paper in her hands and chucking it towards the waste bin which was already surrounded by several other failed letter attempts.

"Hey Noct, I know this is sudden and not how I usually tell you stuff but I thought it'd be kind of amusing, you know, knowing that you and Luna do this stuff. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be away for a few days on a business trip and I have no idea what else to say and— ugh!"

Lightning punched the wall in frustration and cursed her job under her breath. "Couldn't they have given me more of a heads up? Dammit…" She had no idea when Noctis would be home and time was of the essence. She wanted to tell him what she would be doing but at any point if the Glaive called her she would have to deploy immediately since their opportunity of infiltration was already small as is.

She stepped out onto the balcony embracing the chilly dusk air and looked to see if Noctis was anywhere in sight. He wasn't.

The sun was already setting behind the mountains in the distance which made Lightning all the more antsy.

Just as she was about to make her way inside the apartment, Fang appeared before her in a flash of blue light with her spear resting on her shoulder. She was dressed in her Glaive attire. The young woman pushed her helm visor (which was shaped like the skull of a dragon) up and winked at her friend. "You ready Sunshine? It's time. They sent yours truly to come and get ya."

Lightning gave one more glance out from the balcony towards Noctis's school and gave a reluctant sigh to her friend. "Just give me a sec." She said and quickly finished up the letter she had started. After finishing, she carefully set the letter on the kitchen counter and grabbed her belongings and joined Fang out on the balcony. After locking the sliding window, she took a deep breath and threw her spear towards the Glaive headquarters and blinked with a flash of brilliant white and blue.

* * *

"Hey Light, I'm home!" Noctis annunciated as he unlocked the door.

"Keep it brief Noct. We'll have to leave soon." Ignis said in a hurried manner as he tapped on his pocket watch.

"I know, I know." Noctis answered in a disgruntled tone. "Ms. Bedhead! I'm home!" He repeated as he checked to see if her work boots were by the doorstep. They were, which meant she should be home from work. "Hmm…" Noctis immediately took up a hunched position and hugged the wall. _'So, an ambush huh?'_ He peeked out from the corner and saw a partially empty kitchen and living room.

"Alright… either behind the couch or counter top." Noctis took off running in the room and leapt over the couch and was met with the soft cushions. "Damn!" He quickly grabbed a pillow and shielded himself from the direction of the kitchen waiting for Lightning to appear, but she didn't.

The prince tossed the pillow aside and scanned his surroundings. "Light...? You home? I gotta tell you something. It's pretty important." It was then when he noticed a vanilla envelope on the counter top, similar to those he exchanged with Stella. "I wasn't expecting a letter today Luna."

After ripping the seal open Noctis removed the letter and read in his mind.

' _Hey Noct,_

 _I know this is sudden and not how I usually tell you stuff but I thought it'd be kind of amusing, you know, knowing that you and Luna do this stuff. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be away for a few days on a business trip. It's part of my promotion. I wanted to tell you in person but they wanted me to leave right away and I didn't know what time you'd be home. I'll take a raincheck on that celebration. But I'm looking forward to it. See you when I get back._

 _Love,_

 _Ms. Bedhead'_

* * *

 **End Chapter:**

Xethear: Where will their separate missions take our two heroes? Find out next time on "Our Hidden Agendas."


	5. Chapter 5: Duality

Xethear: Hello everyone, and sorry! I've been a way for quite some time without any information as to why which was very irresponsible of me. I've been busy with school, a part time job and actually trying to run a YouTube channel for games. I figured it was another way to connect and share stories with people. I will attempt to be more attentive with this story along with updates on how future chapters are coming along in a new section of my author page labeled "Fic Status." My thanks to **Zak123456789022** for sending me a pm about the story. My apologies once again everyone and thanks for your support. Without further ado, let's dive back into it!

Note: Though I know in the English localization of the game she is called "Cindy," I decided to keep her name as "Cidney" with the Japanese translation because it made more sense as she is the granddaughter of Cid. And because I thought it sounded better.

 **Chapter 5: Duality**

Noctis closed his eyes and felt the lingering warmth of the sun against his face while as he rested his head on the Regalia's window. It was sunset and the prince and his friends had made their way through Leide - the desert outskirts of Insomnia - where an old acquaintance of the king resided in a place called Hammerhead.

Noctis could hear Prompto chatting away with Gladiolus and Ignis while a gentle tune played on the radio and he had a small lapse of déjà vu. The only thing missing from the recollection was Lightning's soft voice complaining about noise followed by her cuddling up against the prince's neck as she continued on with her slumber. He couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. She hadn't picked up any of his calls nor any of his messages. He concluded it was either that she was busy or there was no service where she was. Hotspots were pretty spotty in the desert after all and Leide was no exception.

Noctis was just about to doze off when the engine began to sputter and steam started to leak from the corners of the hood. "Whoa, what's going on?" Noctis grabbed the back of the driver's seat and pulled himself forward to get a look at the dashboard and hear Ignis's diagnosis.

The confidant sighed and gave a disappointed stare at Prompto who feigned innocence by examining his camera. It was painfully obvious to the prince that the photographer had played a hand to get them in their current circumstance.

"Alright, it seems as though we must push." Ignis said as he began to remove and fold his jacket.

Noctis stared at the digital clock on the Regalia in silence for several seconds. "Push? Did I hear that right Ignis?" Noctis couldn't believe how his day was going.

"Indeed Noct." The man said as he stepped out of the car.

"Just when I got to the good part." Gladiolus shut the book he was reading closed and placed it down on the seat as he followed Ignis's example.

Noctis had time to glare at a guilty Prompto before he too exited the Regalia to join on the unexpected manual labor. "Alright so… someone has to stay in the driver's seat to steer right?"

"Right!" Prompto answered with a similar intonation.

"The usual gentlemen's accord I presume?" Ignis said as he looked at each one of his companions.

"Rock, paper, scissors." Gladiolus clarified as he winded up his arm.

Noctis nodded, "On the count of three then."

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

"Go!"

* * *

"Scissors beats paper." Lightning motioned her fingers together as a defeated Fang groaned.

"Alright, take it." The young woman growled spitefully as she tossed Lightning some chocolate food rations – one of the better pieces of food for the cadets, or rather pleasurable. "I prefer meat anyways."

Lightning shrugged and took a bite of the sweet treat and leaned back in her seat to take time to gaze out the window of the airship. The desert blanket of Leide was far behind them and was instead replaced by the vast ocean. Lightning was immediately reminded of her old home since Bodhum was a town that resided on the coast. The sun had already begun to set in the horizon casting a golden glow over the water. It was the familiar glow of dusk that Lightning was so accustomed to seeing out Noctis and her apartment window.

She looked at Hope who was sitting across from her. He had his eyes fixated on the glowing laptop screen resting on his lap while his fingers danced across the keyboard. He was well immersed in his work and was probably the most prep oriented member of the group. Fang was the most instinctual and Lightning was well rounded in various departments as she was the spearhead leading the group.

"How are things looking _Wedge_?" Lightning asked Hope using his alias. She waited in silence for a few seconds but the only response she got was the rapid tapping sounds of Hope's fingers pressing down on keys. "Hope?"

At the sound of his actual name the young man looked up, "Hm? Did you say something Light?"

Lightning chuckled. "It's Aranea remember?"

The young man's cheeks grew a hint of pink as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "R-Right. Sorry Li— I-I mean Aranea. Just not used to the aliases yet."

"It does take some getting used to." Lightning said with a sigh as she stared at the silver locks that cascaded down her left shoulder.

"You're telling me. I'm supposed to be called Biggs is that right Sunshine?" Fang shot a glance at Hope. "Biggs and Wedge aye? Who thought that one up while Sunshine here gets _Aranea_?" Fang took extra special care to pronounce Lightning's alias with a bit of sarcastic flair.

Lightning raised her brow with amusement. "Why don't we give Sazh an alias too?"

At the sound of his name, the pilot looked up to his mirror and stared at his passengers. "Now don't bring me into this ruckus."

"I can't really think of one." Hope admitted as he rubbed his chin.

"Neither can I." Lightning said with a shrug. "Sazh is Sazh."

* * *

Noctis leaned against the trunk of the regalia and watched as Gladiolus attempted to signal a passing car for help only to have it whizz by without a passing glance. "Give it up. That's the third one today." The sun beat down feverishly above the four friends. They all had removed their jackets hoping it would relieve them of the burn, but the sweat creeping down their faces said otherwise.

"You can only go so far off the kindness of strangers." Ignis murmured as he pressed his face against the steering wheel.

"Damn heat…" Noctis groaned as he leaned against the back of the car.

"I think I've already pushed myself… to the brink of death." Prompto said as he sprawled himself on the ground.

"Enough complaining." Gladio grunted as he kicked the end of Prompto's boot softly, "Car ain't gonna move itself."

Noctis and Prompto both shared a frown and begrudgingly pushed themselves up and pressed their hands against the car.

"This is why we never let Prompto take the wheel." Gladiolus said with a grunt as he pushed against the trunk of the Regalia to keep the vehicle moving.

"Gladio, do us a favor…" Noctis said with an exhausted huff as he pushed on the left side of the car. "Push this by yourself."

Gladiolus scoffed, "All by myself?"

"You won't even notice if we just let go." Prompto muttered snidely.

"Prompto, don't even think about it." Gladiolus said with a scowl.

Ignis sighed as he turned the wheel to keep the car from running off the road. "Save some breath for pushing."

The four continued their uncomfortable task of trucking through the desert for half an hour longer until the Hammerhead Station was finally visible in the distance. The only other sound apart from the occasional car passing through to break the four's complaints was the soft melody of "Stand by Me" playing on the radio.

Noctis thought he was going to pass out from heat exhaustion as the car pulled into the garage and he quickly slumped to the ground.

"Well I'll be!" An upbeat voice called out followed by footsteps. "The Regalia in all its royal glory. Now which one of ya'll's the Prince?"

' _I have to stand again?'_ Noctis pushed himself up once more and spun around to meet the voice. There before him was a young woman with short, blond, curly hair and bright olive eyes. The red cap on her head donned the words "Hammer Head" which was an eye popping contrast along with the orange bikini top peeking out from her half zipped yellow jacket. Noctis quickly averted his gaze from the woman's revealing appearance as he could practically feel Lightning's cold gaze creeping up from the depths of the back of his mind.

"That'd be me." He said as he raised his hand sheepishly. The prince momentarily glanced to his side and narrowed his gaze when he saw Gladiolus with a sultry grin on his face and Prompto practically head over heels for the woman. Ignis on the other hand kept his air of sophistication and kept things professional.

"Prince Noctis, congrats on the wedding!"

Noctis pursed his lips remembering the task he had momentarily forgotten about. "Not hitched just yet. And you are?"

"Cidney. Mechanic and grease monkey granddaughter of Cid." As soon as she had finished her sentence Noctis felt a sharp blow to his back.

"Ack!" He recoiled and spun around as an old man retracted his fist.

"Stand up straight boy!" Noctis recognized the man from the photo albums in his father's study.

"Hey Cid." He said with a smile.

The old man returned the gesture and sighed. "Look at you boy. All grown up now aye?"

Noctis had few memories of Cid along with his father's other companions as a child which is why he had no recollection of Cid's granddaughter Cidney, but the memories he did possess were of fond times. He never was quite sure why Cid never visited Insomnia, his father refused to talk about it which Noctis assumed as he got older, was a sort of falling out between them. "Think you can fix her up Cid?"

"These old bones don't work like they used to, but Cidney here's your girl."

Noctis followed Cid's direction towards his granddaughter and saw a flash in her eyes as she gazed at the Regalia. "I'll get her up to speed good as new!" She shouted eagerly and brought out a myriad of tools from the garage.

"W-Wow…" Prompto gasped as he watched Cidney work.

Even Ignis was impressed. "At the rate she works at, we'll be back on the road in no time."

Noctis smiled and walked off to the diner to grab a bite to eat while they waited for the vehicle. He sat down in a booth after ordering some fries and opened up his phone to find no new alerts. He browsed through the saved messages in his phone and read the subjects as he waited for the arrival of his meal.

"Prompto: At Gladio's, Iris made ste…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Did you eat my ice cream?! I'm gonna…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Want me to pick anything up for dinner to…"

"Ignis: I've come up with a new reci…"

"Gladio: Sword practice today at 4:00…"

"Serah: Did you really eat her ice cream?! Oh Noc…"

"Iris: Don't forget to season the ste…"

"Prompto: New raid boss tonight! Get re…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Don't forget about the raid boss toni…"

"Ignis: Needed more salt…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Just got off work, dinner and movie toni…"

"Gladio: Just got a 5 star character! Eat it Prince Charmle…"

"Prompto: Gonna steal Gladio's phone. You in?"

"Ms. Bedhead: Just finished showering, I'm borrowing your shirt…"

The prince's cheeks grew red as he decided to open the last message his eyes had quickly scanned.

"Ms. Bedhead: I'm borrowing your shirt, no objections, right? Oh! Also your chocobo boxers, they're soft and comfortable. I see why you like them. Mind picking up some garula sandwiches at the mart on your way home? Thanks Noct. And hurry up! The movie's gonna start soon and there's a vacant seat right next to me on the couch you big idiot."

He continued reading for a while with a goofy smile on his face as he recollected each of the messages when a plate clattered before him. "Got some fries for ya!"

Noctis smiled up at the owner of the diner and gave a thanks before munching on one of the fries. His thumb glided over the "Compose" prompt on his screen and automatically pressed on "Ms. Bedhead."

 _Hey Light, you alright? Hope you're not bored out of your mind with that business trip. Did you eat lunch yet? I'm having fries myself. I know, your gonna nag me about vegetables. Does ketchup count?_

* * *

Lightning bit the bottom of her lip as she stared at the bar less meter on the upper corner of her phone screen. Ever since she had entered the Niflheim base in Duscae her phone had been acting up. She suspected it was due to the giant Magitek Generator emitting a red pulsing field of energy.

Hope, Fang and Sazh were inside the airship because she was to meet the commander of the base alone as she was the acting representative supposedly from Niflheim's main army. She sat inside the commander's vacant office in silence for about fifteen minutes when the sound of multiple footsteps came echoing down the hall. The doorknob turned with a faint squeak and a middle-aged man of medium height with his black hair slicked back entered the room followed by an entourage of two helmed soldiers. He glanced at Lightning with contempt and sat down at his desk and folded his hands together in front of his face. "So, you're the one they sent, are they?"

Lightning would have decked the man in the face if she hadn't been undercover. She suppressed her feelings of frustration and rose from her seat. "Aranea Highwind. Pleased to meet you despite your obvious insecurities." She resolved that even if she was to play a character it didn't mean she couldn't be curt about it. The look of indignation that spread across the man's brow gave Lightning all the satisfaction she needed.

"Hey! You watch your tongue around General Caligo you—!"

Lightning leapt towards the guardsman that had just begun to scold her, swatted his gun into the air whilst simultaneously sweeping one leg behind the guard knocking him on his backside and finished by catching the firearm and aimed it directly over his visor. "If you all were skilled enough to do your job, or _he_ was strong enough to hold down the fort, I wouldn't be here. So! I suggest _you_ picking your words wisely when talking to me."

Lightning glared at the soldier and discarded the weapon to the ground before making an exit from the office _. 'I need to get paid extra for this. They never told me in the brief that I'd be working with such pains.'_

Lightning entered the airship rubbing her temples and was met with applause.

"Way to go Sunshine!" Fang roared with laughter and leapt up to pat Lightning on the back. "You really stuck it to 'em!"

Lightning sighed and removed the hidden camera on her jacket and tossed it to Hope. "Did you get a clear image of Caligo's face?"

The young man flipped his laptop around with a clear profiling of the disgruntled Caligo's face and background information on his standing in the Niflheim army.

Lightning slumped down in her seat and pressed her fingers to her forehead. "I can't believe that I have to work with them for who knows how long. Any word on their next point of action and how it is back in Insomnia?"

Fang handed Lightning a beverage and sat opposite to her friend. "Vanille's been giving me status updates, but nothing really new so far." Fang informed Lightning.

"Great…" Lightning muttered feeling profusely annoyed. "Hey Hope, is there anything you can do about that Magitek field? My phone hasn't been acting properly since we entered the base's vicinity."

Hope perked up and rifled through his bag. "Right! I've actually been working on that while you explored the place. Ah! Here it is." Lightning watched as the man produced a small palm sized capsule and opened it up with a press of a button. He tipped it over his open hand causing a small device about the size of a peppercorn to roll out. "It's a sort of jamming device. Just attach it to your phone and you should be good to go." He explained as he placed the device on the table.

"Wow." Lighting picked the piece of technology between her fingers and did as instructed, placing it on a corner of her phone. She watched as it began to glow a bright blue simultaneously bringing her phone to life. The screen read:

 _Five missed calls: Noct_

 _10 new messages:_

' _Oh no…'_ She thought to herself feeling a slight twinge of guilt. She opened up her messages to see some from her sister, friends and from Noctis with the last message being from him. She quickly opened it and giggled. "Lunch huh…" Her thumb quickly darted to the image of a phone, but right before she initiated her call Sazh called her attention.

"Sorry, missy, looks like they want to see you in base again." Sazh motioned to the monitor in the airship displaying a direct summons from Caligo.

Lightning sighed and instead decided to send a message before heading out.

* * *

"Wooooo! The ocean!" Prompto leaned over rails of the outer rim of the bungalow hotel Galdin Quay and called out to the vast sea. Whilst Ignis was busy sorting out lodging options and Gladiolus was speaking to the chef, Noctis was eyeing the fishing shack.

The sun had just set below the horizon which brought the lanterns to life setting the whole place aglow in golden light which caused Noctis to gasp. "I think I'll take Light here sometime…" He whispered in awe as he took in the scenery. He thought about taking some pictures, but instead decided to have Lightning see the scenery for herself in person the next time they went on vacation together.

Noctis sighed as he watched the rippling of water reflecting the moon above. The side conversations of various diners brought a relaxing ambience to the place along with the sound of sizzling food atop the hob. He fetched his phone from his pocket which coincidentally wriggled with life as the alert of one message appeared on screen. He almost dropped the phone in the water and eagerly opened the message up.

 _Hey Noct, sorry but my phone has been acting up here, service is really bad. Just found out the people I'm going to be working with are complete numbskulls. We just introduced ourselves and they're driving me up the wall. I wanna lie down on the couch already and sleep. Anyways aside from that, doing good. And no, ketchup does not count. Eat something proper. I'm gonna check in with Ignis too to make sure you aren't weaseling out of this. Augh… they want to see me again. I'll message you when I can._

It was to the point and sounded like Lightning which gave Noctis some relief to his anxiety. He had just started composing a new message when Ignis called him over to check out the rooms. He left just as the radio in his vicinity sounded: "Crown city attacked Nifl—" before cutting off in a bluster of static.

 **End Chapter**

Xethear: Thank you all again for waiting for the story updates so patiently. Find updates on future chapters on my profile page. 'Til next chapter!


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